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Euromines (European Association of Mining Industries, Metal Ores & Industrial Minerals)
Raw Materials Initiative
Raw materials are essential for the sustainable functioning of all societies, equally so for the EU. Securing reliable and undistorted access to raw materials is increasingly becoming an important factor for the EU’s competitiveness and, hence, crucial to the success of the Lisbon Partnership for growth and jobs. Hence three policy areas were identified:
- Access to raw materials on world markets at undistorted conditions.
- Sustainable supply of raw materials from European sources.
- Increase of resource efficiency and promotion of recycling.
As had been laid out in the Commission’s report on the competitiveness of the sector the issues of access to these resources were manifold and varied from sub-sector to sub-sector.
Although some, not all EU Member States were and are pursuing specific policies, there had so far been no integrated policy response at the EU level to secure sufficient access to raw materials at competitive prices. The Commission therefore proposed in its Communication that the EU should agree on an integrated raw materials strategy.
What Europe needs
Euromines recommendations for an action package for ensuring the secure supply of sustainable resources for Europe
Domestic issues - Increase supply from European resources
Proposed key actions:
- Simplifying and streamlining the sustainable access to domestic raw materials, in particular by reducing permitting times and increase the legislative reliability of investments in the mineral raw materials sector. Facilitate exploration activities in Europe by re-establishing or increasing national expenditure for exploration with new technologies including the use of GMES services and reinforcing the mineral intelligence at national and EU levels.
- Enhance RTD and innovation in the area of extraction, processing and recycling of raw materials by supporting the ETP SMR and national research programmes that will provide access to new resources, provide improvements on resources and energy efficiency as well as improve their sustainability. Strengthen the compatibility of extraction and environment, health and safety protection by supporting research and best practices in environmental management, including biodiversity.
- Ensure a sustainable supply from 3rd countries through the creation of a level playing field by ensuring that competing imported resources are subject to the same environmental, health and safety standards as well as transparency, good governance and anti-corruption rules.
- Investing at national level into universities and educational programmes for the sector to increase the longer term perspective of new resources and new applications which would improve the sustainability of the use of resources for the future.
Access to non-European raw materials
Of course, the access to raw materials from other parts of the world is seen as equally important and here in particular the EU wishes to ensure that climate change policies, environment, health and safety aspects of the extraction and processing of the raw materials will be assured.
Hence the debate is not just about easy, cheap access by eliminating trade and export restrictions from certain countries, but about ensuring the access to “sustainably produced” raw materials.
Circular Economy
Euromines Position on Resource-Efficiency
The mineral raw materials industry welcomes the issuing of the EU’s recent Circular Economy package, which proposes a long-term framework for actions in many EU policy areas, including climate change, energy, transport, industry, raw materials, agriculture, biodiversity and regional development. The European mineral raw materials industry is keen to inform its implementation by assisting EU decision-makers in understanding global minerals markets and investment decisions. Our aim is to contribute to stakeholders' understanding of the real Circular Economy; linking to the information provided so far by the European Commission, academia, think-tanks, trade associations and mineral raw materials companies.
Competitiveness
Europe is still rich in natural resources. The use of raw materials underpins the economic performance of all EU Member States and most industrial sectors and products. To a large extent, demand and use of the wide range of minerals produced in and/or imported into the EU is strongly influenced by the business cycles of downstream sectors.
Overall the EU minerals trade balance is negative, showing a strong dependence of the EU on imports for its raw material supply. The EU and the Member States are currently revising its policies to increase the competitiveness of the EU minerals industry.
Source: http://www.euromines.org/what-we-do/raw-materials-initiative
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